No Chance for Hertha BSC Berlin against Borussia Dortmund

Intro: Borussia Dortmund won the semifinal of DFB-Pokal against Hertha BSC Berlin (3:0). It is the third final in a row for the “Schwarzgelben”, whose superiority was never really questioned by Berlin in any case. The big dream of Hertha – the final in their own stadium – has to be buried for at least one more year.

The simple reality is that Borussia Dortmund was the better team that evening and tried to play out their advantages from the beginning until the end. “It would be foolish to say that the Liverpool-match did not cause any scars. But the team learned how to deal with it and did a good job here in Berlin”, said Thomas Tuchel. “Something was missing for us, but we really pushed ourselves to the limit. But still, we are a team in development”, said Hertha-Coach Pal Dardai.

It was a straight shot of Gonzalo Castro (21st) that brought Dortmund the lead. After the break fans in Olympiastadium observed a little remake of LFC-BVB. For a moment Hertha increased efforts to draw and had some good opportunities. Salomon Kalou missed a nice chance (64th) after a corner and about ten minutes later his header missed the goal by centimeters. But there is an unwritten law – if you do not draw until 65th minute, you lose. Marco Reus (75th) and Henrikh Mhkitaryan (83rd) finally took care of the final score. The substitute Ilkay Gündogan could have increased the score, but his shot only hit the post (80th). Dortmund deserved to win. Hertha is a good team but still has some steps to go to compete with teams like Borussia Dortmund or FC Bayern München.

Augenblick: For a moment there was a short flashback. Kalou had two good attempts. After a corner he barely reached the ball. But after a cross by Mitchel Weiser his header flew past Roman Bürki’s goal. It was the moment when (at least some) Dortmund fans were reminded of last Thursday when the “Schwarzgelben” gambled away a 3:1 lead at Anfield. It was Marco Reus who, after an accurate pass by Shinji Kagawa, showed his shooting skills. After the 0:2 for Dortmund the short moment of flashback was over and it was sure that Dortmund would win this match.

Man of the Match: Gonzalo Castro once again showed his value for the team. After an average begin he learned how the form of Kalou’s elbow felt on his temple. This clash caused a little wound that had to be treated. While lying next to the sideline and being treated by the docs, Thomas Tuchel used Castro’s break to give him new instructions. This talk seemed to be of use. Gonzalo Castro was the main figure in Dortmund’s midfield and rewarded himself with a great goal from distance.

Key stat(s): While Hertha only had four attempts, Borussia Dortmund had 20. Also the total number of passes (295 : 723) and the ball possession (30% : 70%) underlines the superiority of Borussia Dortmund.

Talking points: The home side tried everything. Even the fans of Hertha BSC Berlin tried to help their team. On Wednesday about three o’clock some Hertha-fans started to burn down fire crackers in front of the team hotel of Borussia Dortmund. Firefighters had to move out. It was in vain. Borussia Dortmund simply was the better team this evening.

In first half Dortmund played out their typical style. Their many pass attempts were always keen to find the gap. Hertha more or less defended. Castro’s goal forced Hertha to participate more and more. But Hertha-Fans had to wait until 45th minute for first attempt on goal. After a cross by Mitchel Weiser it was Jens Hegeler whose shot was too easy for Bürki.

Maybe it was the wound from the Liverpool-match. Maybe it was just a hint of the fatal loss last week. But for a moment there was the impression that Hertha could draw. Kalou had two good attempts and some BVB-fans even said that they once again began to think of draw. But Reus and “Micky” scored and pushed Borussia Dortmund to a final date on May 21. Once again Berlin, Olympiastadium. Once again, FC Bayern München.

Dennis Liedschulte

Dennis works as a journalist and author of fictional novels in Germany. He is a regular visitor of the German Bundesliga. He worked for several newspapers and online magazines and reports directly from Germany for bundesligafanatic.com. Follow at @NummerSieben7

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